Track gauge and bridle bar



O. DUNCAN TRACK GAUGE AND BRIDLE BAR Jan. 29 1924. 1,481,996

Filed April 13, 1923 Patented Jan. 29, i924.

UNITED STATESv OTIS DUNCAN, 0F BIRMNGHM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THRDTO DAVE GOLD- i insiste PATENT ori-ics STEIN, ory BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

TRACK GLUGE AND BRIDLE BAR.

Application filed April 13, 1923. Serial No. 631,947.

To @Zlio 7mm t may concern j Be it known that l, Oris DUNCAN, a citi-Zen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in thecounty of geilerson and'State ol Alabama, have invented` certain new anduseful lmprovements in Track Gauges and Bridle Bars, ol which therequired and removed when desired without disturbing the tracks. j

lt is well understood by those skilled in the art that timber cross tiesare capable of sustaining the tracks on grade or surface level longafter they would not hold the spikes so as to prevent't-he tendency ofthe rails to spread. As a result, the railroads in order to maintain themaximum lite from their cross ties are resorting more and more to thepractice of producing bridle bars, particularly on curves and in yardswhere the tracks are subjected to mostsevere usage. The most serviceablebridle bar heretofore used has been the one formed as an integral bodywhich thus automatically preserves the gauge and holds ythe .tracksagainst spreading, but whenit is required to be removed or changed it isnecessary to tear up the tracks and it is incapable of adjustment forchange in gauge.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a bridle bar which is intendedto be applied to the tracks :is a permanent safety appliance but whichcan be readily removed when desired without disturbing the track andwhich is capable ot both indicating the Vgauge of the track and ot'being adjusted to provide a variation in the gauge which is important oncurves. lt is a special object of my invention to make the device sosimple and rugged in its construction that the expense will be low, thelabor incidentto applying or removing it will be negligible, and themethod ot use and gauge adjustment are so obvious that the mostunskilled track employee can still operate it successfully, this makingit practically available to the railroads for the purpose of obtainingmaximum life from their cross ties.

A further object is to provide an improved wedge for adjustablyconnecting the bar sections which shall have a safety shoulgauge scaleJfor the track.

der. to limit adjustment to the maximum gauge of 4 9 and which shallpresent a straight edge to the bifurcated end of one bar section. j i

As illustrative of the preferred embodiment ofmy invention, reterence ismade to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l illustrates a trackin ,vertical transverse cross-section and shows my improved track gaugeand :bridle bar in side elevation. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspectiveview .showing the assembled bridle bar detached vfrom the track.

of cotter key holes therein for adjusting it rto the different gauges. s

li`1g. 4 is an enlarged side view of one ot the bridle bar sectionsmarked with the Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in Cross-section taken on theline 5 5 of Fig. Q, showing the interlocked ends of thel bridle barsections with my preferred type of wedge in operatinfr position.

2Similark reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

According to the embodiment of my invention illustrated, I show arailway track formed by rails l and Zwhich are attached by spikes 3 tothe cross'ties 4 which are set on the roadbed 5. The bridle baris madeup ot two sections `6 and 7, each section having at its outer end a hook8 adapted to en` gage the outer base flange oitl arail while thehorizontal body portion of the 'bar passes under, preferably in contactwith, the bottom of the rail. The bridle bar section 6 near its innerendy is given a right angled twist to form the interlocking end 9 whichstands vertical and is shown more clearly in Fig. 4, where it will beseen that it is provided with an elongated horizontal v slot l0 andbetween said slot and the twist with notches or indentations l1 formingVa track gauge scale which'are marked to indicate quarter yinchvariations in the track gauge from 4 8 to 4 9. The bridle member 7 atits inner end is bifurcated thereof the `interlocking end 9 of the bar6.y

The furcations are also provided with aligning slots 13, correspondingto the slot 10, and adapted to register therewith when the `bars areassembled as shown in Fig.u 2. A wedge is adapted vto be driven throughY the registering slots and 13 to interlock rarranged on quarter inchspaces so that the bar can be adjusted relatively to the gauge scale. Y

In Fig. 5 I show the preferred type of wedge 17 which has a straightedge 18 adapted to engage the end Walls of the slots 13 in thebifurcated end oi' the bar 7 while presenting va tapered edge to theopposite end of the slot 10 in the interlocking end 9 or' the bar 6. Theadvantage of using a straight edgeA against the biiurcated end of j themember 7 is to prevent a tendency oic the latter, when engagingA a bevelor taper edge, to cock the Wedge which might shear the @otter key, orvary the length ol' ythe bridle bar so as to change the gauge. It willbe noted that this preferred type of wedge is providedV at the end ofits straight edge with an offset shoulder 19 lin line with the holes 16'for the maximum gauge. rlhis will prevent the wedge being adjusted belyond the a 9 gauge or slipping out should one or more of the cotter keysfail.

In operation, the bar members @and 7 are hooked on the outside edges olithe rail bases with the inner end of the bar 6 loosely fitted in thebifurcated end ol' the bar 7.

`The wedge is then inserted and as it is driven in it acts to draw thebar members together,'reducing the gauge as the wedge is driven in. Byreference to the gauge scale the enact gauge et the track can be at alltimes determined, andwhen the desired gauge has been obtained the two(otter keys are inserted so as to preventV the withdrawal of the wedge.F rom time to. time,

if desired, the 'hotter keys can be removed and the wedge adjusted tochange the construed that I Vam limited thereto, as

changes in arrangement and substitution of equivalents may be made bythose skilled in vthe art without departing from therinvention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thusV described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. A `bridle bar and gauge formed by two bars, each havin at one end arail engaging hook and at t e other end a slotted portion, one .of saidslotted' portions being bifurcated and adapted to receive the other, anda wedge inserted through the registering slots in said bar ends to holdthe assembled bar in place with the'desired gauge adjustment, said wedgehavingV one straight side disposed to operatively engage the bifurcatedend port-ion oi" onebar and having a shoulder disposed to interlock withthe bridle bar when it has been adjusted to the maximum permissibletrack gauge.

2. A bridle. bar and vgauge comprising two members, each having a railengaging hook at one end and having the other end twisted to standrinvertical position and provided with a slot, a wedge adapted to beinserted through said slots to adjustably interlock said members,Ysaid,.wedge having a shoulder adapted by engagement with the bridle barto stop it `in position ol" maximum track gauge adjustment, and remo-xuable Cotter keys to hold the wedge in ad j usted position.

In testimony whereof I alii); my signature.

OTIS DUNCAN. Witness.: n

NOMIE

